


Triumph + Disaster

by Selenicereus



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Gen, Hurt Jack, Hurt Mac, Hurt/Comfort, Mention of torture, One Shot, Surprise Cameo, Team as Family, Triggers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-12 02:58:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18437621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selenicereus/pseuds/Selenicereus
Summary: The MacGyver Family end up in a prison camp. Things go from bad to worse very quickly.(Basically just another excuse for me to hurt Mac and Jack... sorrynotsorry)





	Triumph + Disaster

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KishiKeahi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KishiKeahi/gifts).



> The title was inspired by Rudyard Kipling's Poem 'If'.

The cell was completely empty except for a few rags piled in a corner and a ledge a foot off the ground that was barely wide enough to lay down on. The ledge was made from bricks and worked seamlessly into the back wall of the cell. The side walls were both bars that separated one cell from its neighbor. Seven cells lined two walls with doors to the main courtyard. Instead of a ceiling there were more bars, so that during the middle of the day the sun shone directly onto the prisoners. One wall on the west side of the courtyard had a ledge overhead, no more than two feet deep, that provided the only shade during the afternoon. The last wall had the only door leading out of the prison and was there for constantly under guard.

In the courtyard was as empty as the cells, the only defining features were two grates in the floor. The first grate was circular, only six inches in diameter, positioned under the water pump against one wall. The  second grate was in the center of the courtyard and three feet in diameter; at first glance it appeared to be a sewer entrance, but the top grating was the same as the cells, with a cross hatch so that a person walking over may  trip but they wouldn’t fall between the bars.

All this Mac noticed as he was shoved into his cell in the far north-east corner of the yard. Behind him the guard slammed and locked the door. Two cells over Jack was locked into his own cell, grumbling to the guards the whole way.

“Easy mate, no need to shove.” Jack tried to shrug off his guard’s hand.

Bozer and Riley were quiet as they were put in their cells and Mac was glad to see Riley’s guard didn’t shove her in all as the other guards were inclined to do. With the team secure the guards left the court yard, grinding clack signaling the main door being locked behind them. Aside from the team there were only two other prisoners, each with their own cell.

“Hey,” Jack called to his team. “Everyone alright?”

Before any of them could answer one of the prisoners spoke up. “It doesn’t matter. None of you will last long here.”

The man was in the cell between Mac and Jack.

“No need to be a gloomy-gus.” Jack shot back. “And in case you didn’t realize I wasn’t talking to you.”

“You said ‘everyone.’ If you only meant your people you should have been more specific.”

Jack opened his mouth to respond but Mac forestalled him.

“We’re fine Jack.”

“Yeah, if by fine, you mean trapped then we’re totally fine.” Riley pipped in. she had the cell at the opposite side of the yard from Mac and there was an empty cell between her and Bozer.

The man chuckled. “Girl’s got a grasp on reality.”

“Again, no one is talking to you.” Jack growled. “And don’t talk about her like that or I’ll kick you ass.”

“Jack.” Mac snapped. “Relax.”

“Relax?” Jack looked around the cell. “Dude, do you see where we are. How exactly do you expect me to relax when were in prison cells in the middle of a freaking war zone?”

“It is so much worse then that.” The man added on. “See this is where they put the one’s they thing are spies.” He gestured around the open yard. “Or do you think this is a typical prisoner cell. No, our hosts think they can get us to talk if they leave us here long enough, and if we end up not talking it makes no difference. In the end every one who comes in leaves the same way.”

The four friend exchanged looks. They didn’t need to be told exactly what the man meant. If they didn’t escape, they would die in this yard.

~*~

Joel was the man’s name in the cell between Mac and Jack. As the team soon learned, Joel was a quick wit and often tried to get the last word in on any conversation. In contrast, the man between Jack and Bozer was silent their first day, refusing to acknowledge any attempt at communications.

“Just leave him.” Joel told the team at one point. “Luke as friendly as a scorpion in your shorts.”

“Speaking from experience Joel?” the sullen Luke shot back.

“Closest I ever came was watching you do a jig when you realized the bastard was half way up your leg.” Joel shot back.

After that Luck returned to his silence for the rest of the night.

When the sun went down Joel and Luke curled under the few rags they had. Experience had taught them the nights could get damn cold. An hours after sunset both men were sleeping restlessly. Jack was still pacing his cell. Riley and Bozer were pressed against the bars as close to the other as they could get, talking in whispers hoping their voices wouldn’t travel to the guards outside. As for Mac he sitting in a corner that gave him the best view of everything in the yard.

He had to come up with an escape plan. Scenario after scenario went through his head, and with each new, crazy, idea he dismissed it. There just wasn’t enough for him to work with. The guards took away everything they had but their cloths. Even their shoes and belts had been taken. But he knew that soon Jack would be pestering him to ‘use that big brain of yours and find a way to escape.’ When Jack asked Mac had to have a plan; Mac always had a plan.

~*~

The next morning the guards opened the cells, letting the prisoners walk among the yard. The four team mates immediately gathered near the center of the yard to talk.

“Okay, what’s the plan?” Bozer asked, beating Jack to the punch.

All eyes turned to Mac.

“I don’t know.” He shrugged.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Jack asked. “I watched you half the night as you clocked everything in here and thought up a million different ways to use them.”

“Yeah, but there’s nothing that will work to get us out.” Mac shot back. “The most I have to use are the rags in our cells and the curtain in the corner that’s hiding the toilet.”

Mac gestured to where he had noticed a curtain hanging from the ceiling bars in one corner of the yard. The other three turned to look and grimaced. Like the rags there were given as blankets the curtain was torn and stained.

“What do you expect me to do tie everything together and make a rope?” Mac continued. “I have nothing to work with.”

“You saying you got nothing?” Jack asked.

“I’m saying I need time to come up with a plan. Maybe I could snatch something from one of the guards to help us, but right now, yeah, I got nothing.”

It hurt saying the words out loud. Mac knew his team depended on Mac to solve impossible problems, it was his niche. Jack was the muscle, Riley was the tech, Bozer was… well Bozer was just Bozer. But Mac was ‘Mr. Wizard’, he was the ‘scientist’, he always had a plan or something he could make to get them out of any situation. He knew he was letting them down.

“Don’t worry,” He was quick to reassure them. “I’ll think of something.”

~*~

The first day dragged on. They were allowed free reign of the yard, but the time passed exceedingly slow and the sun was blasting them with heat. By noon they were all sitting against the west wall under the meager shadow the ledge provided. Joel and Luck had even ventured from their cells and sat against the hot stones. Thankfully as the sun dropped from it’s zenith the shadow lengthened providing them with more shelter from the heat.

Occasionally someone would get up and work the pump to get some water but it was too hot to do anything else. The team talked, Jack telling stories about hot summers in Texas or even hotter deployments throughout the middle east. Bozer told a tale about college during a heat wave that was maybe half true, have boasting.

After a few hours of the team chatting Joel chimed in with a story, and soon after even Luke told a quick joke that left everyone doubled over in laughter.

Overall it was a dull day, and not at all what Jack or Mac had been expecting from a prison camp. Bozer and Riley had some vague notion that this wasn’t the norm but they didn’t actually know there was something off.

An hour before sunset the guards came and forced everyone back in their cells, tossing each person a stale loaf of bread. Before locking up for the night. As they settled in, the last bit of light fading from the sky Luke spoke up.

“And so hold on when there is nothing in you, except the will which says to them: ‘hold on.’”

There was a beat of silence before Jack asked the inevitable question. “What the hell does that mean?”

“It’s Kipling.” Mac had immediately recognized the poem.

“What?” Jack turned to him.

“If you can keep your head when all about you are losing their and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, but make allowance for their doubting too; if you can wait and not be tired by waiting, or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, or being hated, don’t give way to hating, and yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise.” Bozer quoted.

Everyone had turned to listen to Bozer and when he stopped, they were silent thinking over the words. Bozer, uncomfortable under all their eyes stammered.

“I memorized it in college for my English class.”

“Okay.” Jack said slowly, turning again to Mac. “But what does it mean?”

“Well, the poem is about a father giving advice to his son about being a man.” Mac answered.

Joel chuckled at that. “That may be what the poem is about, but it sounds a bit like a warning to me, and it should to you too.” He paused to make sure he had everyone’s attention. “Today was easy, tomorrow won’t be. The guards let you all relax and get comfortable, but from here on out…”

~*~

Joel was right. The next morning, instead of the six guards that had come to let them out the day before, only two guards entered the yard. Jack immediately stood up, hoping his sudden movement would draw the guard’s attention to him. He knew that two guards mean only one person was being taken out and he had to make sure that was himself.

“Hey, looks like the bellhops finally got my master suit ready.” Jack smiled at the guards as they crossed the yard. “Well it took you boys long enough.”

“Jack.” Mac warned in a low voice. He understood, as well as Jack, what the situation was.

Jack ignored the warning. “You know, I’ve been waiting all day so I ain’t giving you a tip. Not to mention I think you guys lost my bags.”

During the exchange all four Phoenix agents had stood up, each expecting they would be the one grabbed and hoping that the rest of the team would be okay. Joel and Luke had the opposite reaction, retreating into the corner of their cells and making themselves as small as possible. Even so each man watched the guards without fear. They may not want to be notice, but that didn’t mean they were going to be cowed before their captors.

The guards ignored Jack and the other prisoners. To them this was work. They had their orders and nothing the prisoners did would change who they grabbed. Reaching the prisoner’s cell, they unlocked the door.

Jack’s fear notched up a degree and he slammed his hand against the bars to try and get the guards attention on him. “Hey! Leave him along.”

The cell door swung open and not Luke was yelling as well. “You bastards, can’t ever pick a fair fight.”

As for Joel, when his cell door opened, he stood up silently. Now that he knew it was him, he wasn’t going to hid in the corner; but at the same time the fear in his chest made it impossible to spit any curses at the guards. He could hear Jack and Luke on either side of him, heaping insults and curses at the guards as they stepped into the cell and each took hold of one of his arms.

Then he was dragged from his cell and across the yard.

Luck stopped cursing when the yard door closed behind the guards, but Jack kept on a minute longer raising his voice so it would travel beyond the walls. Finally, he ran out of insults. Jack turned to look at the empty cell next to him then raised his head and met Mac’s eyes.

“Fuck.”

~*~

They were locked in their cells, the sun bearing down on them, until noon. Two guards dragged Joel back into the yard and dropped him near the central grate, then another six guards entered and the rest of the prisoners were let out of their cells, the guards retreating once more through the door out of the yard.

Mac, being the closest, reached Joel’s side first and quickly checked for a pulse. He held his breath until he counted a few beats then looked up at everyone who had gathered around. “He’s alive, but his pulse is weak.”

Luke was already kneeling next to Joel and gathered the man into his lap. “Hey bro, you still with me.”

Joel moaned, turning his head into Luke. “Fuck you, I was finally catching a nap.”

Luke choked on a laugh, his eyes tearing up. “Yeah well, it you sleep out hear you’ll turn as red as a tomato. Come on.”

With that he tried to stand up with Joel, but they were both too weak to manage it. Jack and Mac both moved to catch them as the pair started to pitch forward. Joel gasped in pain and became a dead weight between Mac and Luke. Jack, supporting Luke, nearly dropped the man as he suddenly lurched sideways with Joel.

“Fuck.”

“Easy,” Mac muttered, gently lowering Joel back down. “He passed out.”

“We have to move him out of the sun.” Luke sounded desperate.

“I know,” Mac agreed. “But let Jack and I do it, we can manage.”

Luke nodded and moved to let Jack pick up Joel. After a few more confusing moments everyone made it across the yard to the west wall and the shadows.

Once settled Mac spent a few minutes checking over Joel and binding a few of the deeper cuts with scraps torn from his shirt. Luke hovered, brushing Joel’s hair out of his eyes.

“How long have you two known each other?” Riley asked as Mac tied off the last bandage.

Luke laughed. “I’ve known Joel my whole life. He’s my brother.”

Everyone looked between the two men and Luke laughed again.

“I know what you’re thinking: we look nothing alike.” He shrugged. “But we’re brother’s one hundred percent. I got more of my mom’s Irish in me, and Joel here got our dad’s mix of Italian-German features.”

Now that it was pointed out to them Mac noticed the similar features. Sure Luke had prominent black hair, gray-green eyes, and an almost white completion but he shared the same jaw structure and nose as Joel. In contrast, Joel’s darker skin tone, brown eyes and curly brown hair made the similarities harder to see, but couldn’t hide them entirely.

“I didn’t realize.” Riley tried to find an expiation.

“No one ever does unless they knew us growing up.” Luck shrugs. “We use to have fun seeing how long it took people to realize we were actually brothers. In collage one of our professors didn’t realize for a full year. It took our dad coming to pick us up before Professor Montoya realized and even then, we basically spelled it out for him.”

“So, were you guys in the same unit when you were captured?” Jack asked.

Again, Luke chucked, “We’re not soldiers, we’re medics working with WHO. Our team was set up just outside a local village. One night we get the call to pull up stakes and move back, but the call came to late. Rebels got there sooner then expected, UN troops were holding them off as we packed up and moved as many people to transport as we could. Most everyone was packed and moving, but one of the doctors was just coming out of surgery. Joel and I were waiting with her so we could move the patient as soon as she finished. That’s when we were grabbed. A group of the rebels had gotten around the UN troops.”

He fell silent, seeing the rebels storm into the tent, guns pointed in every direction. Joel stepped forward to be between the rebels and the patient, Luke copied the move, pushing Doctor Alexander behind him.

“What happened to the doctor?” Bozer’s question snapped Luke out of his memory.

“Those fuckers shot her and the patient.” Joel answered.

Luke looked wide eyed at his brother, not having realized Joel had woken up and was tracking with the conversation. As everyone turned to him, Joel tried to sit up.

“Wait.” Luke held his shoulder. “Don’t move just yet.”

“It’s fine,” Joel shrugged off his brother hand. “Cracked ribs, bruises, a few cuts which I see you wrapped. It’ll heal.”

Frowning Luke helped Joel sit up as everyone resettled around them.

“So if you two are medics, why did the rebels take you?” Mac wondered.

“Search me.” Joel shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

~*~

By the time the guards came with food and to put everyone back in their cells Joel was able to stand and walk on his own. They had spent the afternoon worrying over what would happen next and spit-balling escape plans that Mac knew would never work. But in the face of Joel’s beating, and worried for the continued safety of the team, Jack was gearing up to make a move.

Hours after sunset, with everyone else asleep Jack turned to Mac. “Hey, Mac, you awake?”

“Yeah.” Mac was mostly awake, but the heat all day was draining. Even if they sat in the shad as much as possible and drank water from the pump, which was hot and never actually enough in Mac’s opinion, everyone was exhausted at the end of the day. “What’s up?”

“We got to get out of here man.” Jack stage whispered across their cells.

“I know.” Mac sighed. “I still haven’t figured anything out. The guards only spend a few minutes in here with us and they’re took careful for me to lift anything off of them.”

“No, I know that. But we can’t stay here. They’re gonna grab one of us for their little parties next time and I aint gonna let that happen.” Jack growled.

“I know Jack.” Mac was getting frustrated. “But I can’t make something when I have nothing to work with. I can’t build anything out of thin air.”

“I realize that kid. Which is why I’m gonna get us out of here.”

Mac turned to face Jack. “No, what ever you’re thinking, don’t.”

“Trust me.” Jack tried to hush Mac. “You’re not the only one who can make a plan. We’ll get out of this the Jack Dalton way.”

~*~

No one was singled out the next morning, and everyone spent the day moving with the shadows as the sun drifted across the sky. In the afternoon Jack started putting together his plan. Mac tried to be a voice of reason, and at first Bozer and Riley were on Mac’s side. But with no other plan being made they slowly turned and sided with Jack. No one wanted to spend anymore time in the cells and Jack had a plan for now. A crazy plan, but a plan all the same.

So as the guards opened the door to the yard, ready to lock up the prisoners for the nigh, everyone sprung into action. The team had spent the afternoon tying scraps together to make three-foot ropes, now Mac used his rope to wrap around the first guard’s neck and drag him off balance. Jack stepped in, lifting the guard’s gun, and got off a shot at the next guard.

But that’s when the plan turned south and they lost their advantage. Being limited by the doorway, now blocked up with guards, Jack and team had no where to move. Now with the initial surprise of the attack over, the guards further back had a chance to pull their weapons and were standing ready to shoot the first prisoner that moved.

“Jack.” Mac warned.

They were outnumbered, and even with how good a shot Jack was there was no way he could take out the other four guards before they killed him. Slowly, Jack took his finger off the trigger and set the gun down. Mac, equally as slowly, unwrapped the rope from the first guard’s neck.

“Back up.” one of the guards grunted.

Mac and Jack took a few slow steps back, the rest of the team moving as well, further into the yard. The guards carefully maneuvered into the yard, guns still drawn and unwavering at the prisoners.

“Into the cells.”

Slowly, without turning, everyone backed into the cells.

“Not you two.” The guards stopped Mac and Jack before they could enter.

Once all the other cells were locked the guards motioned Mac and Jack to walk ahead of them. Riley, Bozer, Joel and Luke watched as Mac and Jack were led out of the yard.

~*~

No one slept that night. Riley and Bozer paced, worried and waiting for the boys to return. Joel couldn’t find a comfortable way to rest without aggravating his wounds, and Luke worried about his brother, as well as Mac and Jack, kept looking to make sure Joel was still breathing.

Finally, in the pre-dawn light, the yard door opened and the guards ushered in Mac and Jack. Or rather Mac carrying Jack. The older man was covered in blood to the point that Riley couldn’t see where the wounds were in the poor light.

“Jack!” She clutched the bars of her door with white knuckles. “Jack!”

“He’ll be fine.” Mac answered. “Just need rest.”

It was a lie. Mac was worried about his friend, but he didn’t need Riley worrying when there was nothing they could do. After hours watching the guards take turns beating his friend Mac wondered why he had been in the room. Yes, the guards had thrown a few punches at the kid, but nothing compared to what Jack had endured. Mac was feeling guilty that Jack had taken the brunt of the beating.

Maybe, he thought, if the beating had been split evenly between them Jack would be awake and joking with Riley to reassure her. Instead, Mac was struggling to keep a hold of his friend and get to the cell where he could lay Jack down and hopefully do something to stop the biggest cuts from bleeding.

The guards opened Jack’s cell and let Mac spend a few minutes binding the wounds. If he wasn’t so utterly drained Mac would have questioned the guards behavior, not even trying to pull Mac from the room till he tied off the last scrap of fabric and looked up to the door.

Standing Mac moved to the door, a guard grabbed his arm just above the elbow, but instead of being led to his own cell he was walked to the center of the yard.

“Shit.” Luke muttered as he saw what the guards had planned.

As Mac had been tending to Jack, one of the guards had removed the cover on the central grate. Now he understood why he hadn’t been beaten. The hole was small, not connected to a sewer drain as Mac had originally thought, it was five feet deep and only three feet in diameter around. It has been crudely dug into the ground and lined with brick that made ever surface a sharp edge.

Another guard grabbed Mac’s other arm and together they half shoved, half lowered Mac into the pit. Standing in the pit, Mac’s head was the only thing above the ground and he shot a quick glance back to Riley and Bozer before he had to duck as the grate was put back in place. The guards locked the grate to ensure Mac couldn’t get out then they left.

Unable to stand fully, Mac tried to sit down. The space was tight, smaller than it had appeared from outside, and it took him a moment to settle into a semi-comfortable position. Of course, as soon as he though he could relax one of the bricks made its’ self notable by jabbing into his shoulder. So, he moved a bit till that brick was no longer stabbing, but now another brick was aiming for his kidneys.

The first hour in the pit was spent finding a mostly comfortable way to sit. By that point however the sun had come up. Because the pit was centered in the yard it was under shadow for less then an hour at the beginning of the day and then again at the end of the day, and Mac soon realized that the heat would be his biggest enemy. With no respite from the sun Mac was overheated within the first hour, if he didn’t get water or a rest from the sun he wouldn’t last the day.

As if in answer to his thoughts one of the guards entered the yard. Riley, Bozer and Luke watched the guard fill a bucked with water from the pump. Then the guard approached the pit.

“Hey.”

Mac looked up, startled by the guard’s sudden appearance, and ended up inhaling a mouthful of water as it was dumped over him. Choking and hacking on the water Mac vaguely hear the guard laugh as he moved away. then there was the distinct sound of the yard door opening and closing behind the guard.

Slumped against the wall, soaked in water, Mac heaved a sigh. This would be a long day.

~*~

“Mac?” Bozer called towards the pit where his best friend was locked away. “Hey, Mac answer me.”

Holding his breath, Bozer pressed against the cell bars to be as close to Mac as he could get.

“Yeah?” Mac’s voice sounded cracked and dry.

“How you holding up?” Bozer asked.

It was noon. The guards hadn’t come to let anyone out of their cells and it looked like they would all be stuck for the day, but Mac was the worst off. With their cells against the south and east walls everyone else had been sitting in shadows for most of the morning. Only now, with the sun at its zenith, were they forced to stand the brunt of its heat. But Mac was trapped in the middle of the yard and had already spent hours under the sun. Guards had come a few times and thrown a bucket of water over the kid, but that wasn’t enough to compensate for this kind of heat.

“’M tired.” Mac answered.

It was true. The heat was taking its toll and Mac was having trouble focusing or putting together a thought. All he wanted to do was curl up and take a nap, but every time he tried a brick would find someplace uncomfortable to wedge its self. Now he couldn’t even find the energy to string a full sentence together to reassure his best friend that he was alright. One thought, however, did manage to penetrate the heat and suddenly Mac got a bit of clarity as worry took the place of exhaustion.

“Jack?”

Mac hadn’t heard a word from the Texan since the beating and the last Mac had seen his friend was passed out on the floor of his cell bleeding everywhere. What if…

“I’m here.” Jack’s voice sounded as bad as Mac’s: rough with heat and disuse.

There was a wet caught and a groan as Jack’s abused body protested the careful equilibrium it had found.

“It’s okay Jack,” Riley chimed in. “Don’t try to sit up.”

“I’m fine.” Jack replied.

Mac had a vague sense of déjà vu, but his mind was once again becoming foggy and slow. Distantly he could hear someone talking, but he was so tired. He needed to close his eyes just for a minute.

~*~

The sound of the grate being moved away woke Mac. He tried to move but every muscle had stiffened up and protested any movement. Hands reached down and pulled him out of the pit, carefully lowering Mac onto flat ground. As hands gently pulled his legs straight Mac whined, it hurt. Everything hurt. Couldn’t they just leave him alone.

“Easy Mac.” Someone muttered next to him. “Just breath, we’ve got you. Everything’s going to be fine.”

“’ack?” his voice was a crack of sound too dry for anything.

“I’ve got you hoss.” Jack reassured the kid.

The guards had unlocked the pit before they unlocked the rest of the cells. As soon as Jack was release, he’d run to get Mac who still hadn’t emerged. Surprisingly Luke had been the one to help lift the kid from the pit, slowly straightening each of Mac’s legs and massaging the muscles to ease the cramps. Bozer had run straight to the water pump and filled the bucket the guards had left, then rushed to Mac’s side.

Propped up against Jack, Mac took a careful sip of water. Once the taste of the water registered in Mac’s foggy thought, he reached out to try at get the water faster.

“Slow down. You’ll make yourself sick.” Joel warned.

“We need to get out of the sun.” Luke added.

The group made a tangled mess as everyone tried to help support someone and they shambled across the yard to the eastern wall. It was still early morning so cells would be in shadow for a few more hours. By unspoken agreement they piled into Jack’s cell, carefully lowering Mac onto the bench. Once they had the kid settled Jack slumped to the ground by Mac’s head. Stiff and aching from his beating Jack was nearing his limit, but he refused to give in until he knew Mac would be okay.

“Keep giving him a few sips of water.” Joel told Bozer. “And we should wipe him down to help get his temperature down.”

Joel, like Jack, was moving slowly, favoring his injuries. Settling at the other end of the bench from Jack, Joel sat back and allowed everyone else to fuss over the kid as he threw in his suggestions. Luke was checking Mac over, but there wasn’t much they could do for the kid.

Mac’s skin was red and had started to blister from the heat in a few places. His shirt was covered in sweat, but he was shivering, and occasionally his muscles would cramp and he would try to curl in on himself.

Bozer tore off a scrap of his shirt and dampened it to wipe down Mac’s face and shoulder, anywhere he could reach, to try and help cool the kid down.

Riley, worried about Mac but content to let everyone else fuss over him, moved to Jack’s side.

“Let me take a look at you.” Riley said, reaching to a bandage on Jack’s shoulder.

“I’m fine, alright.” Jack shrugged Riley off.

“No Jack, you’re not fine.” Riley yelled. She had spent the last day worrying about Mac and watching Jack try to hide his pain with ever slow measured move he took. Her nerves were fried from the heat and fear for her family.

“Just because Mac’s hurting right now, doesn’t mean you’re not. You were beaten until you passed out and Mac had to drag you in here. We were locked in our cells all day in the heat then spent another freezing night without anything to keep us warm. I know you’re worried about Mac but you can’t just pretend everything is fine. Everything is not fine. Nothing about this situation is fine.”

Riley chocked back tears and had to stop to catcher her breath as she finished her rant. Everyone had stopped to look at her, even Mac had woken up enough to turn over.

“She’s right man.” Mac mumbled.

Jack opened his mouth to protest but Bozer stopped him.

“We’ll take care of Mac.” Bozer gestured between Luke and himself. “You just sit there and let Riley look you over.”

Jack looked around at everyone, trying to find someone to back him up, but each face was determined and he knew he would lose this one. His gaze fell on Joel and he thought he might have one more way out.

“Alright, you win.” Jack said agreeably. “But if y’all are fussing over me and Mac who’s gonna look over Joel?”

Joel chuckled, seeing Jack’s comment for what it was. “I had everyone fussing over me already. Besides, I’ve had a whole extra day to rest.”

Jack knew he lost this one. “Yeah, okay. I’m just saying.”

~*~

At noon the group crossed the yard to the shadow of the western wall, but otherwise everyone was too tired for any activity. Even swapping storied took too much effort, although Bozer tried to make a few bad jokes. Riley, Bozer and Luke spent the day tending to Mac, Jack and Joel, but there wasn’t much they could fix. They kept Mac cool, wiping him down with a wet rag to try and fight the fever that had set in. Joel and Jack both got their cuts washed and re-wrapped.

In the late afternoon Luke followed Riley over to the water pump.

“None of us will last like this much longer.” He kept his voice low so it wouldn’t travel back to the rest of the group. “Especially Mac, if we can’t get his temperature under control.”

 “I know.” Riley looked over her shoulder at her boys.

~*~

The night came alive with sound. Riley startled awake when the yard door opened. She had just fallen asleep, worried about Mac in his own cell had kept her up most of the night, and now a few hours before sunrise she couldn’t figure out what was going on. Guards streamed in, shouting, and started opening the cells. But they weren’t guards.

“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”

“McGarrett, is that you? You crazy water baby, what are you doing here?” Jack called.

“Saving your sorry ass.” Steve answered. “Now let’s go.”

The woman who opened Riley’s cell smiled, “Aloha, ready to get out of here?”

Riley was almost to shocked to answer. Almost. “Aloha,” she echoed the greeting. “Man am I glad to see you, but who are you?”

“I’m Tani,” the woman smiled. “But maybe this can wait.”

Across the yard someone had picked up Mac, the kid was passed out and not responding, even with all the chaos of the prison break. Joel and Jack were leaning heavily on their rescuers and everyone formed up and made their way out of the yard.

Everything was happening in double time, too fast for Riley to properly track, but a few thing stood out. Each of the prisoner’s was paired up with a rescuer, but Bozer, Luke and Riley (being the only three reasonably unharmed) had been given a gun. Jack had a gun as well but was leaning too heavily against his rescuer (Riley thought she had heard the name Steve) for it to be any use. The group was lead by a short blond man wearing a dress shirt under his tac vest.

The lay out of the prison beyond the yard was actually just a field with tents pitched and one or two actually structures. Going around the back of the tents they avoided most of the rebels and soon they were on open ground running towards a helicopter.

Then the team was loaded in the chopper heading home.

~*~

Okay, so not straight home. The chopper landed at the nearest US Army base where Mac and the rest of the team were snatched up by medics. Everyone had heat exhaustion and were put on IV, Mac being the worst off was covered in ice packs to get his temperature down as quickly as possible. Jack and Joel between them had a few cracked ribs and needed a couple dozen stitches as well as antibiotics to combat any infection their wounds may have caught.

By the time Mattie showed up to collect her team everyone was passed out in the medic’s tent catching up on nearly a week’s worth of sleep. She did however run into the Five-0 task force as they were packing up.

“Commander.” Mattie called stepping up to the Seal. “I want to thank you for getting my team back.”

Steve shook his head. “You don’t have to thank us, we still owe your team for helping after the earthquake and that business in Douala last month.”

“All the same,” Mattie countered. “You have your own trouble back home, but you and your team dropped everything to fly half way across the world. Thank you.”

Steve nodded. “Anytime. You just make sure they make it home safe.”

“I will.”

They shook hands and Mattie went to check on her team as Steve got his people loaded up and headed home.

**Author's Note:**

> No, I didn't tag this work as Hawaii Five-0, that would have ruined the surprise cameo at the end :D (also: KishiKeahi is to blame for the Five-0's cameo) ((double also: I'm not at all up to date on Five-0, I'm still back on season 7 which is why i didnt spend more time with those characters, sorry.))
> 
> (Last also): here's a link to the poem 'If' by Kipling (read by Micheal Caine... because Micheal Caine is phenomenal) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu46bq8ZZHs


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